J2025-1575
Authorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au
2026
THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
FOR THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
(As presented)
(Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services)
Firearms (Public Safety) Amendment
Bill 2026
Contents
Page
1 Name of Act 2
2 Commencement 2
3 Legislation amended 2
4 New section 52A 2
5 Adult firearms licenses—conditions
New section 73 (1) (aa) 4
6 Minors firearms licenses—conditions
New section 94 (1) (aa) 4
7 Temporary international firearms licenses—conditions
New section 130 (1) (aa) 4
Contents
Page
contents 2 Firearms (Public Safety) Amendment Bill 2026
Authorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au
8 Permits to acquire—refusal to issue generally
New section 145 (1) (c) 5
9 Permits to acquire—refusal to issue to temporary international firearms
licensees
New section 146 (2) (c) 5
10 User registration—refusal
New section 171 (1) (c) 5
11 New section 171 (3) 6
12 New section 228A 6
13 New part 27 9
14 Prohibited firearms
Schedule 1, new item 25 11
15 Licence categories and authority conferred
Schedule 3, item 1, column 3, paragraphs (a) to (d) 11
16 Schedule 3, item 2, column 3, paragraphs (a) to (d) 11
17 Schedule 3, item 3, column 3 12
18 Schedule 3, item 4, column 3 12
19 Schedule 3, items 11 and 12, column 3, paragraphs (a) to (d) 13
20 Schedule 3, items 13 and 14, column 3, paragraphs (a) to (d) 13
21 Dictionary, new definitions 13
J2025-1575
Authorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au
2026
THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
FOR THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
(As presented)
(Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services)
Firearms (Public Safety) Amendment
Bill 2026
A Bill for
An Act to amend the Firearms Act 1996
The Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory enacts as follows:
Section 1
page 2 Firearms (Public Safety) Amendment Bill 2026
Authorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au
1 Name of Act1
This Act is the Firearms (Public Safety) Amendment Act 2026.2
2 Commencement3
(1) Section 3 and section 13 commence on the day after this Act’s4
notification day.5
Note The naming and commencement provisions automatically commence on6
the notification day (see Legislation Act, s 75 (1)).7
(2) The remaining provisions commence on a day fixed by the Minister8
by written notice.9
Note A single day or time may be fixed, or different days or times may be10
fixed, for the commencement of different provisions (see Legislation Act,11
s 77 (1)).12
(3) If the remaining provisions have not commenced before13
1 January 2028, they automatically commence on that day.14
(4) The Legislation Act, section 79 (Automatic commencement of15
postponed law) does not apply to this Act.16
3 Legislation amended17
This Act amends the Firearms Act 1996.18
4 New section 52A19
insert20
52A Authority conferred by licence—limitation on number of21
firearms possessed or used by licensees22
(1) A licence that authorises the licensee to possess or use a firearm is23
subject to the following limitations (if any) on the number of firearms24
that may be possessed or used by the licensee under the licence:25
(a) for a licensee who possesses or uses a firearm for a relevant26
genuine reason—not more than the greater of—27
Section 4
Firearms (Public Safety) Amendment Bill 2026 page 3
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(i) 10 firearms; or1
(ii) the number of firearms approved by the registrar subject2
to any requirement prescribed by regulation;3
(b) for a collector licence—no limitation;4
(c) for a composite entity licence—no limitation;5
(d) for a firearms dealer licence—no limitation;6
(e) for a licensee prescribed by regulation—the number of firearms7
approved by the registrar subject to any requirement prescribed8
by regulation;9
(f) in any other case—not more than 5 firearms.10
(2) The total number of firearms a licensee may possess or use under11
more than 1 relevant licence held by the licensee, despite any12
combined numerical total under the licences, is limited to the number13
under whichever relevant licence provides the highest number of14
firearms.15
(3) If a person is authorised to possess or use a firearm temporarily under16
section 14 or under a law of a State, the firearm is not counted in the17
number of firearms that may be possessed or used by the person under18
this section.19
Note State includes the Northern Territory (see Legislation Act, dict, pt 1).20
(4) In this section:21
relevant genuine reason means—22
(a) animal welfare; or23
(b) business or employment; or24
(c) occupational requirements relating to rural purposes; or25
(d) primary production; or26
(e) sport or target shooting; or27
Section 5
page 4 Firearms (Public Safety) Amendment Bill 2026
Authorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au
(f) vertebrate pest animal control.1
Note Complying with any limitation on the number of firearms that may be2
possessed or used by a licensee under this section is a condition of an3
adult firearms licence (see s 73) and a minor firearms licence (see s 94).4
A person commits an offence if they contravene a condition of their5
licence (see s 45).6
relevant licence means a licence of a kind mentioned in7
subsection (1) (a), (e) or (f).8
5 Adult firearms licenses—conditions9
New section 73 (1) (aa)10
before paragraph (a), insert11
(aa) the licensee must comply with any limitation on the number of12
firearms that may be possessed or used by the licensee under13
section 52A;14
6 Minors firearms licenses—conditions15
New section 94 (1) (aa)16
before paragraph (a), insert17
(aa) the licensee must comply with any limitation on the number of18
firearms that may be possessed or used by the licensee under19
section 52A;20
7 Temporary international firearms licenses—conditions21
New section 130 (1) (aa)22
before paragraph (a), insert23
(aa) the licensee must comply with any limitation on the number of24
firearms that may be possessed or used by the licensee under25
section 52A;26
Section 8
Firearms (Public Safety) Amendment Bill 2026 page 5
Authorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au
8 Permits to acquire—refusal to issue generally1
New section 145 (1) (c)2
insert3
(c) the registrar is satisfied on reasonable grounds that the4
acquisition would not result in the acquirer possessing or using5
more firearms than the number of firearms that may be6
possessed or used under the acquirer’s licence.7
Note Section 52A limits the number of firearms that a licensee may8
possess or use under the licensee’s licence.9
9 Permits to acquire—refusal to issue to temporary10
international firearms licensees11
New section 146 (2) (c)12
insert13
(c) the registrar is satisfied on reasonable grounds that the14
acquisition would not result in the acquirer possessing or using15
more firearms than the number of firearms that may be16
possessed or used under the acquirer’s licence.17
Note Section 52A limits the number of firearms that a licensee may18
possess or use under the licensee’s licence.19
10 User registration—refusal20
New section 171 (1) (c)21
insert22
(c) if the registered owner of the firearm is anyone other than a23
relevant registered owner—registering the applicant as a user of24
the firearm would not result in the applicant possessing or using25
more firearms than the number of firearms that may be26
possessed or used under the applicant’s licence.27
Note Section 52A limits the number of firearms that a licensee may28
possess or use under the licensee’s licence.29
Section 11
page 6 Firearms (Public Safety) Amendment Bill 2026
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11 New section 171 (3)1
insert2
(3) In this section:3
relevant registered owner, of a firearm, means—4
(a) a licensed firearms dealer; or5
(b) a composite entity; or6
(c) an approved club; or7
(d) any other registered owner prescribed by regulation.8
12 New section 228A9
insert10
228A Offence—possession of digital blueprint for manufacture11
of firearms or firearm parts12
(1) A person commits an offence if—13
(a) the person has possession of a digital blueprint for an item; and14
(b) the item is a firearm or a firearm part; and15
(c) the item may be manufactured by using the digital blueprint in16
combination with a computer-aided manufacturing device.17
Examples—computer-aided manufacturing device18
a 3D printer, an electronic milling machine19
Maximum penalty: 500 penalty units, imprisonment for 5 years or20
both.21
(2) Strict liability applies to subsection (1) (b) and (c).22
Section 12
Firearms (Public Safety) Amendment Bill 2026 page 7
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(3) Subsection (1) does not apply to a person if—1
(a) the person is authorised by a firearms dealer licence, or is2
otherwise authorised under this Act, to manufacture the firearm3
or firearm part; or4
(b) the person possesses the digital blueprint in the course of5
carrying out public or official duties in relation to—6
(i) enforcing or administering a territory law, or a law of the7
Commonwealth or a State; or8
(ii) monitoring compliance with, or investigating a9
contravention of, a territory law, or a law of the10
Commonwealth or a State; or11
(iii) the administration of the justice system; or12
Note State includes the Northern Territory (see Legislation Act, dict,13
pt 1).14
(c) the person—15
(i) possesses the digital blueprint to undertake scientific,16
medical, educational, military or law enforcement research17
that has been approved by the registrar in writing; and18
(ii) has not contravened a condition of the approval.19
(4) It is a defence to a prosecution for an offence against subsection (1)20
if the defendant proves that—21
(a) the defendant did not know, and could not reasonably be22
expected to have known, that the defendant possessed the digital23
blueprint; or24
(b) the digital blueprint came into the defendant’s possession25
unsolicited and, as soon as they became aware of its nature, the26
defendant took reasonable steps to remove the blueprint from27
their possession.28
Note The defendant has a legal burden in relation to the matters mentioned in29
s (4) (see Criminal Code, s 59).30
Section 12
page 8 Firearms (Public Safety) Amendment Bill 2026
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(5) For subsection (3) (c), the registrar—1
(a) must keep a record of each approval and any condition of the2
approval; and3
(b) may keep the record in any form, including electronically, that4
the registrar decides.5
(6) In this section:6
computer includes a tablet, mobile phone and any other electronic7
device for storing or processing information.8
digital blueprint means—9
(a) any type of digital or electronic reproduction of a technical10
drawing; or11
(b) any electronic coding; or12
(c) any computer-aided design.13
possession, of a digital blueprint, includes the following:14
(a) possession of a computer or data storage device holding or15
containing the blueprint;16
(b) possession of a document in which the blueprint is recorded;17
(c) control of the blueprint—18
(i) held in a computer or data storage device that is in the19
possession of another person (whether the computer or20
data storage device is in the ACT or elsewhere); or21
(ii) held on a remote computer or remote data storage device22
that is accessible from a computer or data storage device23
(whether the remote computer or remote data storage24
device is in the ACT or elsewhere).25
Example—remote data storage device26
a cloud storage system27
Section 13
Firearms (Public Safety) Amendment Bill 2026 page 9
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13 New part 271
insert2
Part 27 Transitional—Firearms (Public3
Safety) Amendment Act 20264
419 Meaning of amendment Act—pt 275
In this part:6
amendment Act means the Firearms (Public Safety) Amendment7
Act 2026.8
420 Applications for other categories of licences after9
relevant amendments commence10
(1) This section applies if—11
(a) before the commencement of a relevant amendment, a licensee12
was authorised to possess or use a firearm under a category of13
licence (the existing licence); and14
(b) on the commencement of the relevant amendment, another15
category of licence will be required to possess or use the firearm16
(the other licence).17
(2) The licensee may apply for the other licence before the18
commencement of the relevant amendment.19
(3) Despite the commencement of the relevant amendment, the licensee’s20
existing licence continues to authorise the licensee to possess or use21
the firearm until the application for the other licence is determined by22
the registrar.23
(4) A regulation may prescribe other circumstances in which a licensee’s24
existing licence continues to authorise the licensee to possess or use25
the firearm on or after the commencement of the relevant amendment.26
Section 13
page 10 Firearms (Public Safety) Amendment Bill 2026
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(5) In this section:1
relevant amendment means an amendment made by the amendment2
Act, section 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 or 20.3
421 Limitation on number of firearms licensees may possess4
or use during relevant period5
(1) This section applies to—6
(a) a licensee who may apply for a permit to acquire a firearm under7
section 143; and8
(b) the holder of a licence to which section 168 applies who may9
apply for registration as a user of a firearm under that section.10
(2) The licensee or holder must not, during the relevant period, apply for11
the permit or registration if issuing the permit or registering the holder12
would mean the number of firearms possessed or used by the licensee13
or holder would exceed the number of firearms they will be permitted14
to possess or use under section 52A, as inserted by the amendment15
Act, section 4, after the commencement of that section.16
(3) An application made contrary to subsection (2) is taken never to have17
been made and is of no effect.18
(4) This section does not apply to an application for registration as a user19
of a registered firearm if the registered owner of the firearm is a20
relevant registered owner.21
(5) In this section:22
relevant period means the period—23
(a) starting on the day after this Act’s notification day; and24
(b) ending on the day the amendment Act, section 4 commences.25
relevant registered owner—see section 171 (3), as inserted by the26
amendment Act, section 11.27
Section 14
Firearms (Public Safety) Amendment Bill 2026 page 11
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422 Expiry—pt 271
This part expires 1 year after the day the amendment Act, section 42
commences.3
Note A transitional provision is repealed on its expiry but continues to have4
effect after its repeal (see Legislation Act, s 88).5
14 Prohibited firearms6
Schedule 1, new item 257
insert8
25 a belt-fed firearm
15 Licence categories and authority conferred9
Schedule 3, item 1, column 3, paragraphs (a) to (d)10
substitute11
(a) airguns (other than semiautomatic airguns);12
(b) rim-fire rifles (other than self-loading, straight pull repeating action, self-13
opening action or self-closing action) with magazine capacity of not more14
than 10 rounds;15
(c) shotguns (other than self-loading, pump action, straight pull repeating action,16
lever-action, self-opening action or self-closing action) with magazine17
capacity of not more than 5 rounds;18
(d) shotgun and rim-fire rifle combinations19
16 Schedule 3, item 2, column 3, paragraphs (a) to (d)20
substitute21
(a) muzzle-loading firearms (other than pistols);22
(b) centre-fire rifles (other than self-loading, straight pull repeating action, self-23
opening action or self-closing action) with magazine capacity of not more24
than 10 rounds;25
(c) shotgun and centre-fire rifle combinations;26
(d) lever action shotguns with magazine capacity of not more than 5 rounds;27
(e) semiautomatic airguns28